Undercover
by EarlTrancylikesYaoi
Summary: When Izumo and Kotetsu, assigned to spy on the akatsuki, go missing, Naruto is forced to go undercover as an akatsuki member alone. His mission? Find out when Pain plans to attack, and what happened to the two chunin. What he wants? To be with his best friend, Sasuke. What happens when he feels more accepted in akatsuki than Konoha? Narusasu,sasodei,kisaita,kakuhi,zetto,paikom/mm/f
1. Chapter 1

"Y-Yamato! Kakashi, Lady Tsunade!" the young woman ran down the streets of Konoha, holding her pig.

"Shizune, what's up?" Tsunade asked carelessly. Shizune shook her head, her eyes downcast.

"The two chunin we had set up near the akatsuki base—Izumo and Kotetsu—well, Kotetsu is rumored to be dead, and Izumo is missing." She shook her head, realizing this caused many problems.

Yamato's eyes widened. Turning to Kakashi, he saw through the man's mask that he was worried too. Akatsuki information was highly important at the moment, as the leader was planning an attack. No! They had to have that information! Kotetsu and Izumo had been spies from the outside. He hoped neither were dead… they were needed for the chunin exams!

"If we don't know when they are going to attack, then… we will be completely unprepared! And being caught unprepared by the akatsuki, especially with their new admissions like Sasuke Uchiha, is a very bad thing." Shizune said, her voice cracking.

"How do you know all of this?" the hokage demanded. Shizune held out a letter received from one of the leader's lackeys. Tsunade grabbed it and read aloud.

"The Hidden Leaf's spies were rather easy to discover, un! Next time, send better ninjas(; Kotetsu, we did well off with him, un. Izumo, who knows where he is, un?" She looked up at them.

"Why does this keep repeating un?" She asked, throwing the letter back to Shizune. Yamato waved his hand, deciding it was unimportant.

"We need replacements, quickly." Tsunade shook her head.

"Listen, we can't afford to lose anyone else. Obviously the akatsuki is capable of finding our spies."

Kakashi Hatake, a renowned sensei, finally spoke up, never removing the book he was holding from hand.

"I believe we'll need someone… on the inside."

Yamato seized the information quickly.

"Yes, a spy on the inside! We'll need communication devices, and fake information."

"Yeah, great idea Yamato!" Tsunade congratulated. The two walked along, discussing details. Kakashi sighed and followed along.

…

Naruto Uzumaki lazily walked down the street. He had finished his ramen, and was awaiting any new orders from Yamato.

"Naruto!" He heard a familiar voice call out. Turning around and uncrossing his arms from behind his head, he smiled widely at his teammate, Sakura.

"Hey!" He called, waving to Sakura and Sai. The pink haired girl ran quickly towards Naruto, dragging Sai along with her.

"Did you hear? Me and Sai are taking Izumo and Kotetsu's place as chunin examiners this year! I'm so excited!" She chatted loudly.

"Eh? Why, what's wrong with them?" She was annoyed by this.

"What, we can do it!" She yelled.

"No, I mean just what's wrong, Sakura, geez!"

"Those details weren't given to us. It is a mission, and you have one as well." Said the emotionless boy.

"Oh? What is it?" Naruto asked, curious.

"We don't know, Naruto. We don't even know why we have to do this, but I'm really glad!" Sakura chatted again. The three continued walking down the dirt road, headed towards a ramen shop. Of course, the two didn't know Naruto had already had ramen.

"Sakura, Sai, Naruto." Kakashi drawled slowly.

"The hokage wants to see you guys, now." His nose was still in his book.

"B-but, ramen! Awh, come on!" Naruto cried as Sakura dragged him along. They passed the academy, which brought memories of Sasuke flooding back to Naruto. It made him feel a mixture of sadness and happiness. He never truly understood why he felt so strongly for his best friend, but he knew he'd do whatever it took to get him back.

"Believe it…" he whispered to himself.

In the meeting room with the hokage, team kakashi sat nervously.

"Alright, brats." Tsunade said, taking a drink of sake.

"Izumo and Kotetsu, our spies over the akatsuki… they've gone missing." Naruto's eyes shot open. Izumo and Kotetsu? No! they had helped Naruto with a lot!

"What? We need to find them, Gran—" She cut him off.

"That's not our main concern, Naruto!" She snapped.

"We need information from the akatsuki, or else the leader will launch into war with the hidden leaf, and we will be caught completely unaware. Sakura and Sai, you're staying here to take Izumo and Kotetsu's places as chunin examiners."

Naruto's heart was pounding.

"Granny Tsu? What about me?" She looked down, taking another sip of sake.

"You… are going undercover into the akatsuki." The room was dead silent, and Naruto was sure they could hear his heart hammering against his chest.

"Sasuke, he… he'll recognize me!" Naruto exclaimed. Tsunade didn't have the patience.

"Look, We are dying your hair black. Using makeup done by Kankuro, were going to cover up the lines on your face. Your contacts are going to be brown. Got that? Even if you're recognizable, were going to change you, a lot. Don't get scared now, Naruto."

Slowly, he nodded his head.

"I can do it, I can get Sasuke back! Believe it!"

"NO, Naruto! That's not your mission! God, get him out of your head for a second and listen! You're mission is to get all the information you can about the attack, and find out what happened to Izumo and Kotetsu, got it?" Tsunade yelled.

He frowned, turning his hands into fists.

"Yeah…" But silently, he vowed to try to accomplish all three.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered, her head down.

"I'll be alright, Sakura! You don't need to worry about the future hokage, 'tebayyo!" He smiled at her, laughing.

"Besides, I'll be really happy to see Sasuke again!"

"Naruto…" he saw the tears streaming down her face. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him, letting her tears fall.

"Hey, hey…" He whispered, wrapping an arm around her, and patting her head.

"I'll be okay, Sakura-chan. I'll do my best."

…

"Ready?" Temari asked, sheer gloves covering her hands. Naruto gulped. This was a move he didn't really want to make, but it was necessary.

"I…I…" he stuttered. One doesn't simply dye such beautiful hair black! Sakura sighed.

"Naruto, just get it over with!" She scoffed. Geez, girls! One minute they sob because you're leaving, the next they yell at you!

"Okay, okay, geez!" He leaned over, and Temari started working her way with the dye through his hair. It was cold and wet, and Naruto was completely going to miss being blonde. Once they had waited, they rinsed the dye out.

"Ready to see the new me?" Naruto asked from under his towel.

"Yeah!" Sakura chorused alone. He pulled the towel off, his bangs hanging in his face. Sai and Sakura surveyed him, Temari nodding proudly at her work.

"You… look, uhm…" Sakura stuttered. What was she supposed to say, he looked really cute! She blushed.

"Sexy." Sai stated plainly. Sakura blushed immensely.

"Sai, why did you say that!" She hammered.

"Because, uhm hello, it's true!" Temari said proudly. "You should've let me make over you a LONG time ago."

Naruto pouted.

"I was already sexy, thank you very much! Too sexy for all of you!" He bounced out of his seat, hurrying off to Kankuro. Temari packed a box of self dye, in case it would wash out quickly.

"Okay," Kankuro, the master of makeup, started. He had written down all the instruction for Naruto, who would have to do this often.

"First, you start by applying your skin tone base." Naruto dozed off in between the boring makeup tutorial. Kankuro continued with his brushes and cover up.

"Done!" He yelled proudly, awaking Naruto. His eyes fluttered open, finally focusing on the mirror, and his lineless face.

"Woah, they're gone!" He said, shocked. He turned around to face the small group of people watching his transformation.

"You… you look awful!" Sakura yelled, a blush crossing her face. Ino disagreed.

"Nawwh, he looks cute, Sak!" She called, her blonde hair swishing around. Naruto was getting sick of being complimented for who he wasn't.

"I… looked better before though, right?" He asked, laughing lightly. No one said anything. He sighed, grabbing his contacts from Lady Tsunade.

"Ow, owow!" He cried, pressing the brown contacts in. By the time they were fully in, his eyes were watering madly. Tsunade forced him to wear a completely black outfit, with the netted shirt and a black jacket to cover it. His black jeans were slim and fitted for his body.

"Naruto, if you looked like this all the time, I'D date you." Ino called flirtatiously.

"well, well I don't need all this fake crap to be attractive!" He sneered.

Ever since he was a child, he had never been accepted anywhere. He'd been hated as a child, because of this damned demon and his prankster hobbies. He'd never had anyone as family, and Iruka became his role model. But the town had never accepted him, and he came to terms that no one would ever accept him.

That is, until Sasuke. No matter how much bull shit Sasuke fed Naruto, he knew that Sasuke was his best friend, and he'd do anything to have him back.

"Naruto, you're ready to go." Tsunade yelled. He had a suitcase filled with makeup, hair dye, clothing and paperwork. A letter supposedly written by Naruto was shipped to akatsuki in advance.

Everyone piled around Naruto, hugging him or saying goodbye. Sakura held on the longest, making sure he would use his communicator to talk to her.

He started his long trek, and had reached the edge of the city. Dust was pushing under his feet, and he prepared to leave Konoha. He had the strange feeling he was being followed, so he quickly turned around.

Kakashi, his sensei, was sitting on a nearby rooftop, looking down at Naruto.

"Kakashi sensei?" Naruto called, stepping out of his fighting stance.

"Naruto." He said slowly, jumping down from the rooftop. He walked until he was face to face with the young boy. That was when Naruto realized he had grown taller, almost able to look into his sensei's eyes. He looked up, wondering what his sensei wanted.

"I know you're going to try to get Sasuke to come back." Instantly Naruto looked down.

"Are you going to tell me not to try? Because I won't! I'll try forever, whatever it takes!" He yelled, fisting his hands.

"I'm not going to say that. Whatever I would say against it wouldn't matter to you when it comes to Sasuke." Naruto slightly nodded, knowing the truth.

"I wanted to… encourage you to do it." Naruto's head flicked up, and he stared back at Kakashi.

"What?"

Kakashi sighed.

"You… will never be okay Naruto. Not until you have Sasuke. And… there is no Team Seven without him. I understand that you're going to try no matter what. I say… go for it—umph!" Naruto rammed into his sensei, throwing his arms around him. Slowly Kakashi smiled, wrapping his arms around his student.

Finally Naruto let go, smiling widely at his sensei.

"I'm gonna get sasuke back, believe it!" Kakashi nodded.

Naruto ran down the path, leaving Kakashi alone. He turned around, leisurely walking back into the town.

"And I wasn't even late this time."

…

"Nagato." Konan called, her blue hair falling into her face. He didn't look up from his paperwork.

"Our new recruit should be here by tonight." He nodded, finally looking up at her.

"He will be the Uchiha boy's partner." Konan nodded, sitting on the edge of Pain's futon.

"I'm not sure Sasuke will work well with other's, though." There was a smile in her voice, but none on her face.

Pain nodded, letting Konan know the conversation was over.

…

"Phew!" Naruto said to himself. It was completely dark, and he had finally arrived at the akatsuki base headquarters. He sat outside on a rock, trying to calm his nerves. Sasuke, was in there? His heart was hammering, and he realized how recognizable his voice would be. He practiced deepening it, until he was satisfied that it was somewhat different.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." He said, amusing himself with his new voice.

"Are you the new recruit?" He heard a feminine voice call. He nearly fell off of his rock in shock.

"Ah, uh, erm, yes!" he said, recollecting his wits. The woman turned towards the moon, and it graced her pale features.

"Well, please come in then. I am Konan." Instantly Naruto admired her calm. He followed her down a dark path into the akatsuki hideout. Deeper into the cave, Konan led him to a dead end rock wall.

"Are you certain you are the new recruit?" She asked, turning back to the boy.

"Ah, uh, yes! I have my paperwork here!" He reached into his suitcase, pulling out the papers Tsunade had filed. Konan looked them over, nodding. Reading over the papers, a look of annoyance crossed her face.

"Your sexual orientation was not necessary, boy." Naruto wanted to punch Tsunade.

"Ah, uh, what… what is it?" Naruto asked. She stared at him for a moment.

"Are you certain you should be here? Only the strong survive."

"Hey, I'm strong! Believe it!" He momentarily forgot voice masking, defending his pride. She nodded, shaking his hand. Turning back to the wall, she grasped a lever that was unnoticeable to Naruto until then.

"Welcome to Akatsuki."

Naruto followed her down a metal hallway, his feet clanking against the floor. They walked for a very long time in silence, until finally they reached another door. Konan turned to a keypad, pressing in numbers. Naruto was expecting a high class, modern place after all this trouble.

"If Pain thinks you're trustworthy, you'll learn the code here." She entered the last digit, and the enormous white door slid up, revealing a large home. It was unimpressive, and Naruto didn't understand the great lengths they went to too hide it. Nonetheless, he followed Konan inside.

"Danna, un!" Someone screamed. As soon as Naruto stepped into what seemed to be the living room, the immense commotion confused him. What was that man doing cutting himself? Why was that girl screaming for her danna? Where was Sasuke?

"Itachi!" He growled quietly. Fortunately no one heard him because of the noise pollution. But there he was, Sasuke's brother. Poised and porceline, silent and beautiful. Naruto's newly colored eyes burned at him.

"Boy? Follow me." Konan called. He shook his head, following Konan.

He followed Konan down a dimly lit hallway that was painted white. At the end of the hallway, she knocked three times on a red, chipped door.

"Come in." Called an authoritative voice. Slowly opening the door, Konan admitted herself and Naruto in.

"Leader-sama, this is our new recruit, uhm… strangely, you didn't write your name on your paperwork."

"Ah, oh!" Naruto stuttered. Well, he couldn't call himself Naruto anymore! Think…

"Well? What is your name, kid?" The leader was growing impatient.

"Ah… my name is Sai!" He said quickly. Pain nodded.

"And… do you have a last name?" His voice dripped with sarcasm and impatience.

"Uh… Ka…Kashi!" Naruto blurted out.

"Sai Kashi, that's my name." He smiled at the leader. The leader disliked the boy immediately.

"Your partner will be the Uchiha, who rooms in the dark blue door. "

No… way! Partners with Sasuke? This was bad! Sasuke would figure him out for sure!

Partners with Sasuke? Yes!

"Ah, okay! I guess I'll be going then. Thank you, Leader-sama. Konan-sama." He bowed levelly, and returned to the living room.

"Hey! New kid!" Naruto turned around to face the voice calling out to him. He looked up at a very large, very blue man. He looked almost like a fish, but Naruto wasn't one to judge. He had a demon inside of him.

"Hey there! I'm Sai, Sai Kashi!" He smiled widely at the fishy man. He laughed, grabbing Naruto and turning him around.

"Hey guys, this is Sai, the new kid!" Everyone was looking at him except for Itachi, who didn't even turn around.

"Tell us about yourself, kid!" He said, rubbing his hair.

"Ah, I'm Sai! And I'll do whatever it takes to win, so watch out, believe it!" Everyone laughed, especially the pretty blonde girl.

"Who's you're partner, eh?" The blue man asked, releasing him.

"Eh, Sasuke!" At this, Itachi slowly turned around, surveying the black haired newbie. Sasuke wouldn't like this, not at all.

The boy sauntered around introducing himself to everyone.

"I'm Deidara, un!" The blonde said, flirtatiously winking. Naruto was in a happy daze, staring at this pretty girl.

"So how many girls are in akatsuki, huh?" Naruto asked.

"Two, un. Konan and Karin." He blinked. Wait.

"You're a man?" He asked, falling backwards, right into a short man with white hair and pink eyes.

"Fuck off, bitch!" He yelled, pushing Naruto away.

"Yes, I'm a man un, you douchebag!" Naruto was sitting on the ground, staring up at all of them. There was Deidara, Hidan, Itachi, Kisame, a redhead named Sasori, Tobi and Zetsu. Minutes later a redheaded girl ran out, introducing herself as Karin.

"You get to room with Sasuke? Tell me what he looks like when he's sleeping!" A boy with an odd cup named Suigetsu dragged her away.

"JASHIN!" Screamed the albino, Hidan, as he cut deeply into his arm, blood spurting everywhere.

"What the hell, are you okay?" Naruto scrambled to the man.

"Sai, leave him alone. He's into this wacky religion." Kisame called, stuffing his mouth with pizza.

"Oh..oh…" He took a minute to survey his surroundings. The kitchen was brightly lit, with stools surrounding a marble table. The living room had a large television, with a love seat on either side of a long couch. Additionally there were floor mats surrounding a table placed in front of the seats. The kitchen was tiled, whereas the living room had carpets.

"Tobi is a very good boy…" Naruto had already heard Tobi say that many times on his own, but this time it was a deeper voice. He turned to see Zetsu on top of Tobi, both stretched out on the long couch. Zetsu took Tobi's mouth with his own, Tobi's mask slid off enough for access to his mouth.

"KAAAAAHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed.

"Are they allowed to just DO THAT? IN PUBLIC?" He screamed again. Kisame placed a large hand on his head.

"Relax, kid! And yeah, we all can do whatever the hell we want!"

Deidara pouted. It was only Deidara, Kisame, Tobi and Zetsu in the room with Naruto now.

"They are the only official couple here, un. It's totally unfair, un!" He flipped his hair over his shoulder.

"Nothing is worse than being in love with someone who thinks you're nothing but a brat, un." Naruto sympathized.

"Hey, maybe they don't love you now, but they will when you both treasure your friendship!" Deidara smiled. Sasori entered the room, retrieving his headband.

"Danna, come cuddle, un." He said seductively. Sasori rolled his eyes.

"I'm busy, brat." Then it clicked with Naruto. He turned to Kisame and whispered quietly.

"Is everyone… gay?" he asked.

"Not that it's a problem!" He yelled loudly.

Kisame laughed.

"Nawwh, not everyone. Why, you straight?" Kisame didn't really seem interested in the answer, he was merely chatting.

"Uh, uh, yes!" Naruto blushed. Kisame nodded, his eyes trained on the television screen. A cooking show was playing.

"Hmm, I should try that."

Deidara scoffed.

"You'd burn it, un!" Everything was quiet, and Naruto finally left to go to his room. He had put it off for as long as possible.

Breathing in and out deeply, he gathered the nerve to pull the door open, the door knob shaking underneath his grasp.

The moment the door slightly creaked, Sasuke turned around. Naruto's heart stopped.

"Who are you?" He asked coldly. Naruto reminded himself to mask his voice, but even then no words came out.

His pale skin, his jet black hair. His dark eyes, his scowl. Even his scent hit Naruto all at once, and he wanted nothing more than to sob and hold Sasuke. He nearly did it, but regained his composure.

"I… I am… uh… Sai Kashi, your new teammate." He whispered. His eyes roved all over Sasuke's body. He'd become so noticeable, even more beautiful than before.

"Would you stop looking at me like that? And I told Pain I DON'T need a partner." He turned around.

Same old Sasuke.

"Hey, buddy, I'm here whether you like it or not!" There was no way in hell Naruto traveled all this way for Sasuke to reject him.

Sasuke turned around.

"What… did you say…?" He asked quietly, his eyes widening. Naruto pondered Sasuke's expression. He looked lost for a minute, then his face contorted angrily.

"I said I'm here whether you…" Sasuke shook his head.

"No, your voice for a moment just…" Naruto clasped his hands over his mouth. _Shit!_ He thought to himself.

"Oh, uh, sorry Sasuke." Again Sasuke looked up.

"I didn't tell you my name!" He accused.

"Konan-sama did, geez!" He lied. "Calm down!"

Sasuke looked very pained for a moment.

"You look very familiar. Have we met before?" His voice hinted at annoyance.

"No, never before, not in the past whatsoever!" He laughed nervously.

"Hey, your eyes are really dark! What a coincidence, mine are too!" He said, trying to point out obvious facts that made him not Naruto.

"Yeah… Look, leave me alone, I'm too busy for you!" He turned around quickly, and Naruto stuck out his tongue. He felt so happy, like he could burst. His best friend was back, and he hadn't changed. He began setting things up, blushing at how near his futon was to Sasuke's. It wasn't actually close, but teenage boys could imagine.

Wait, why was he imagining things like that, and why was he blushing?

Quickly he put away the colorless collection of clothes Tsunade had packed.

"You reek. Take a shower." Sasuke called.

Well, duh! One doesn't run for miles upon miles without sweating a little bit, jerkoff!

"Ahha, yeah, sure." He said, his eyes narrowing.

"Sai-chan!" naruto was attacked by Tobi, who jumped on him.

"T-Tobi!" He was hugging Naruto so hard, he felt like his insides would burst.

"So Zetsu fed me gum drops and now I'm REALLY hyper! Hahahahahah! Tobi is a good boy, right? Right? Right?"

"AAh, YEAH! Just get off of me, please!" Naruto squealed.

He sat on the love seat next to Itachi, very uncomfortable.

"You look familiar, Sai. Have we met?" Naruto's skin crawled.

"naah, we haven't!" He yelled. He was starting to sweat again.

"Could you tell me where the shower is?" He asked awkwardly. Itachi looked at him intently for a moment, then pointed down the hall.

"It's marked, bathroom." Ehe. Oh.

"thanks!" He scrambled away.

…

In the shower, Naruto let loose. He hadn't realized how tense he had become, pretending to be someone he was not and nervously laughing.

He let the water stream all over, through his newly dyed hair, over his body.

He leaned back against the wall, sitting in the shower seat. He couldn't believe how empty his heart had been without Sasuke. It was like, he was whole now that he knew where Sasuke was. He got out of the shower, looking in the mirror.

The lines hadn't reappeared.

Yeah, Kankuro! Waterproof makeup!

That saved Naruto from redoing it for a little while. He realized he had forgotten to bring his clothes in.

"Aww, come on!" He cried, wrapping a towel around his chest, so no one would see the curse mark. He sighed, figuring he'd just make a break for him and Sasuke's room.

Quickly he looked into the hall. Empty. He took off, but of course someone came out. He ran right into a small man, falling onto the ground. He looked up from his half naked form to see Hidan, looking at Naruto with strange eyes.

Naruto stood.

"Uh, I'm sorry man!" Hidan was roving over his body with his eyes, making Naruto uncomfortable.

"I'm just gonna—" Hidan quickly pressed him against the wall, making Naruto cry out in pain.

"Ow, what are you—" Hidan used his arms to press Naruto's back. He pressed his lips to Naruto's neck, and started sucking and licking.

"What the—" Hidan bit down on Naruto's neck, making him whine.

"G-get off of me!" Naruto pushed Hidan off, running away. Hidan laughed. Naruto pressed his hand to his neck, running into him and Sasuke's room. He slammed the door behind him.

"What the hell? Where are your clothes?" Sasuke asked.

"That guy was making a move on me!" Naruto screeched. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You'll get that here. Put on some clothes!" Naruto breathed slowly.

"Don't look!" Naruto said nervously. "My sexy can kill!"

"You… you're such a…" Sasuke scowled. He had to keep reminding himself that this… wasn't …

"Don't you dare call me a dobe, Sasuke!" Sasuke blinked, his mouth opening slightly. "H-how did you know I was going to say that, idiot?"

"Oh, uh, I um… get called that by my dad a lot!"

Quickly Naruto slipped into casual clothes. "You can look now." He said to Sasuke.

"Dinner time, un!" The duo heard Deidara call from the hallway. Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Hey Sasuke, you—"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" He yelled at Naruto. His voice was too painfully close to Naruto's, and the hole in his heart that yearned for him was gaping.

"Ah, geez! Sorry, Sas—uhm… what should I call you?" Sasuke fought the urge to beat out his brains.

"Don't call me anything! Don't talk to me! Your presence annoys me!"

Sasuke drove a stake straight through Naruto's heart.

"I…I…" Naruto shut himself up, fighting the tears. He walked out of the room.

Sasuke skipped dinner. Naruto avoided Hidan as much as he could. He assessed the situation quickly.

*read the next paragraph really fast, un (;

Konan loved Pain, Pain ignored Konan. Hidan and Kakuzu love each other, they just wouldn't admit it. Tobi and Zetsu, well, obviously… Kisame really loved Itachi, Itachi ignored him. Deidara loved Sasori, Sasori would never admit how he really feels. Karin evidently wanted Sasuke, Suigetsu was undecided, as was Jugo.

And damn, they all constantly fought.

"Shut the fuck up, Deidara!" Hidan yelled loudly.

"Why don't you, un!"

"What's with that gay speech impediment, prick?"

"Shut up, we all know you take it from Kakuzu, un!"

"I… I do not! I will beat the shit out of you!"

"I will blow you up!"

Naruto sighed. He couldn't even eat.

"TOBI IS A GOOD BOY!" "danna, let's do something naughty!" "this food sure tastes good, huh, 'tachi?" "JJAASSSSHHHIIIIINNNNN!"

"EVERYONE SHUT UP AND EAT." Pain yelled. Instantly everyone shut up, quietly eating their food.

Naruto finished quickly, eager to sleep.

It was late, too late for Naruto. He wandered quickly into his futon, covering himself with blankets.

Sasuke was still awake.

"Uhm… I hate to bother you, Sas—man, but do you have a hat or something I can wear on my head?" Sasuke was silent for a long time.

"Why… do you need one?" He asked shakily. Naruto shrugged.

"I usually always sleep with something on my head… something I , uh, picked up from my dad!"

In an instant, Sasuke was on top of him. He repeatedly punched Naruto in the face, catching him completely off guard. Every blow stung him physically and emotionally. The pain ran through his body, and his heart.

"Who the hell are you, really?" Sasuke yelled. For a split second, he stopped punching Naruto. He seized the moment, grabbing Sasuke's wrists. Quickly he pushed Sasuke backwards, Naruto on top.

"I am Sai, you bastard!" Sasuke was staring wordlessly up at Naruto, and Naruto felt lost.

"S-sasuke…" he whispered. Their faces were mere inches away, and Naruto had a burn to close the distance. Leaning forward, he started to close his eyes.

Wait, what?

Quickly he pushed himself off of Sasuke, his face burning.

Sasuke's eyes were completely wide, as he pondered what Sai was trying to do.

"W-what the hell?"

Naruto buried his face in his knees, trying to cover the blush.

"D-do you have a hat?" He screeched. Sasuke quickly got off of Sai's futon, frowning furiously.

He couldn't give him Naruto's sleep cap, the one he had stolen. No, no one could wear it except for Naruto.

"NO, dobe." Sasuke whispered. It was dark, he couldn't have found it anyway.

"Usuratonkachi." Naruto whispered to himself, quietly so Sasuke couldn't hear. He just didn't understand what he was feeling.

His head kept going over every single way he could've kissed Sasuke.

No! That's disgusting, he's your best friend!

He is perfect. He's everything I've ever wanted. He's my best friend, he's the one I love.

Naruto shuddered, shocked at the conclusion.

He loved Sasuke.

How long had it been this way?


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning, everyone! Morning, Sasuke!" Naruto called. It had been one day and he had already seen blood, gay men, been beat up, and been cursed at.

Sasuke said nothing.

"Good morning, Sai." Konan said, eating a banana. "You'll find we have three meals a day at specific times, and Leader-sama makes sure no one leaves until the meal is finished."

The table quickly filled up, Itachi and Konan serving food. Naruto noticed that they didn't feed Sasuke, however. While everyone else enjoyed pancakes or waffles, the black haired ninja was having fruit salad.

Wordlessly Naruto sat next to Kisame and Itachi.

"Itadakimasu!"

"So uh, Konan sama, what's our next mission?" Naruto asked casually, dipping the fluffy pancake in rich syrup.

"Ah, our next mission is to kill the nine tails demon fox, the child from the leaf village. Then, the eight tails, from the cloud." She took a sip of her orange juice while Naruto swallowed his own saliva nervously.

"What do we know about this nine tails?" He asked in his deepest voice possible.

Ba dump. His heart pounded.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Itachi pitched in.

"I believe my younger brother could tell you more about that." Everyone's gaze traveled to Sasuke, who stared down wordlessly at his salad concoction.

"Sasuke…" Naruto breathed. The boy looked so angry and sad, only for a fleeting moment.

He quickly scooted his chair backwards, harshly standing up, and walking away.

"Sasuke! You can't leave until the meal is done!" Konan called.

But he kept walking.

Always breaking the rules.

"A-anyways, when's that meeting later, un?" Deidara called, mouthful of pancakes with strawberries.

"Yeahyeah! When's the meeting huh?" Tobi squealed.

"Meeting?" Naruto asked.

"The details of the mission will be covered later, at six." Sasori relayed.

"ehhe, yeah!" Naruto laughed nervously.

GREAT.

A gang of all powerful, insane super ninjas with power beyond the normal jounin's mortal imagination was out to kill him.

…

"Let's play a game, un!" Deidara called.

Deidara and Sasori, Zetsu, Tobi, Kisame, Itachi, Konan, Naruto, Hidan, and Karin were all in the living room, a short hour to use before the akatsuki meeting.

"Yeah, what do you wanna play?" Kisame asked loudly, his hands on Itachi's hips. The shorter Uchiha was getting himself a drink.

"Let's play… SPIN THE BOTTLE, UN!" The excited blonde held a glass bottle in the air, placing it on the carpet.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Tobi screamed, sitting on the floor. Naruto's heart skipped beats.

"Danna, un, play!" But the redhead refused, only watching.

"I-Itachi?" Naruto asked. He didn't really want to play, and he noticed the other man's reluctance as well. But he didn't want to stand out any more than need be!

"Itachi, please play! I'll buy you cabbage forever!" Kisame bribed.

"NO." Itachi said firmly. Inwardly Naruto sighed in relief. The other boys and Karin were sitting in a circle.

Kisame sighed.

"Itachi, I solemnly promise to buy you dango for the rest of the year if you will play this one game. I also promise not to sneak into your stash of pocky or picture memories."

Itachi reluctantly sat on the carpet.

"DANNA, ITACHIS PLAYING UN!" But he refused.

"No, Brat." Naruto sat on the ground, frowning.

"Memememe! I'll go first!" The boy with the orange mask spun the bottle, Naruto's stomach rolling every time it came near him. He didn't want to kiss anyone but…

Tobi started giggling madly when it landed on Karin. Naruto suspected this girl was a closet pervert, but…

The two disgustingly leaned towards each other, their tongues instantly connecting when Tobi slid his mask partly off.

Gag.

"My turn, un!" The open part of the bottle landed on Kisame when Deidara spun. Sasori folded his arms across his chest, turning his head slightly to focus on Konan in the kitchen. Like he cared if that brat kissed that awful, ugly fish.

And yet, when their lips connected, he felt a sting in his head, or was that his heart?

He was emotionless, it… couldn't be his heart.

Naruto zoned out. Luck was on his side. The bottle hadn't landed on him once, so he rested his head on his fists.

"Sai." Naruto opened his eyes, and saw the opening of the bottle pointing at him. Shit!

He looked up at the worst possible scenario.

Itachi.

"I, uh, just rembered that uhm… OH YEAH! I have to pee, really bad so!" Zetsu, who was sitting next to him, grabbed his collar and threw him towards Itachi.

.

"Uh…" Naruto blushed, his face reddening everywhere. Somehow Itachi kept his cool gaze, wondering how he left himself get roped into this.

Damn, now he'd have to kiss the nine tails.

Itachi leaned towards the teen, tilting his head down. Naruto couldn't stop blushing, so he closed his eyes tightly and rushed into Itachi's mouth.

When their tongues collided, everything sped up. Their mouths moved together, their hands moved together.

"Whoo!" He heard someone cheer.

Sasuke walked into the living room. Soon it would be time for the meeting and—

His brother had an incoherent brat sitting between his legs. What the hell was Sai doing?

An instant jealous heat surged through him. Calmly he reminded himself that it wasn't Naruto.

"What are you idiots doing?" He hissed. Sai instantly disconnected with Itachi, turning around to look at Sasuke, face flushed.

"Sasuke! It's not what it looks like, we're playing—"

"Do you think I care? We have a meeting in ten minutes, baka." He left the room quickly.

Naruto sighed, quickly crawling back to his spot. Itachi seemed disgusted with his mouth, swallowing several times.

That's what you get for not being as attractive as an Uchiha.

It seemed the game was dismissed, Deidara leaning on Sasori's legs, Kisame and Itachi going back to the kitchen.

"We should go to the meeting room now, everyone." Konan said in a short time.

…

It was dark in the meeting room. They were in a cave, and he really couldn't see ANYTHING. He was holding on to Sasuke's shirt, and sat down on the ground when he did. The entire akatsuki was scattered around on the ground, while Pain was standing up, gathering everyone's attention.

He cleared his throat, pulling everyone to look at him.

"The next two demons we will be going after, the most necessary of all to our plan."

"I hope you all understand how absolutely NECESSARY it is that the eight tails and nine tails die."

"Why? I think we all know why."

"World Domination!" Hidan screamed. There were cheers from the more robust members.

"As you all know, this has been a very peaceful time for us while hiding out. We have been together for a very considerable amount of time, something that hasn't happened in years."

"With that being said, let me introduce you to our new strategies. If you were hoping for something short and easy like Sealing Technique: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals, well you're wrong."

"This time, we're splitting up, and we're attacking head on." Pulling out a picture of the sealer of the eight tails demon, he launched into full detail of the attack, and facts about the sealer of the demon, Killer B.

"The task force to kill the eight tails will be Itachi and Kisame, Sasori and Deidara." He covered the basics of when and what to do.

Mentally Naruto was trying to make note of all these details to hand to Sakura.

"Moving on to the nine tails!" He announced, and everyone involved with the former plan quietly sat back down.

He took a picture of Naruto in his hands, then threw it on the ground.

"Nine tails fox, Uzumaki Naruto. It shouldn't be hard for us to kill him from view of the villagers, they all have always hated him." Naruto clenched his fists.

"However, it is the strongest of all demons. So tomorrow, when task force A leaves for Kumogakure, another smaller force will be heading to Konohagakure." He paused, turning around.

"This force is not aimed to kill, it is aimed to gather information on his training and how far he has excelled. Details on the leaders of the village are also their mission."

"This task will be given to Sasuke and his partner, since it is an easy task. Sasuke also knows his way around the hidden leaf. Do you understand, Sasuke?"

Silence. Naruto nudged him, then realized he had heard Pain completely.

Looking at Sasuke, he saw him squinting his eyes, a pained crease in his forhead. His mouth was slightly open, but no words came out.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Pain yelled impatiently.

"H-he understands, he said yeah! He's got a sore throat!" Naruto yelled, placing his hand on Sasuke's knee.

Instantly he nudged it off, but it was the thought that counted.

Pain nodded, turning around.

"Those two forces will be leaving tomorrow morning, so get some rest."

"Aw, what the hell!" Hidan interjected.

"What am I supposed to do, sit around this shitty house all day?" Pain knit his eyebrows, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Konan and myself will be going over important details with Kakuzu tomorrow. We all know you're useless without him." Everyone chuckled, and the albino stood up.

"I'm gonna kill you!"

"However," Pain said calmly, "If you'd like to do paperwork…" the man sat back down.

"Hell, no."

…

"So, what time are we leaving tomorrow?" Naruto asked from his futon, yawning as he slipped under the covers.

"Early." Sasuke said coldly.

Geez. Naruto saved his butt back in the meeting, and he had the guts to be mean? Oh yeah, why had he been choked up anyways?

"So, why… were you all choked up anyways?" He asked, taking the chance.

"None of your business." Sasuke said, his eyes flashing. The sleeping teen sat up, placing a thumb on his chest.

"I saved your ass, don't I deserve to know?" Sasuke paused.

He hated owing people things. He'd rather be all on his own. He never wanted people to do things for him, he hated feeling like they deserved something from him. But now this annoying brat was right.

"…"

"I have someone I… miss in Konoha, someone I don't want to hurt."

Who? Sakura? Kakashi?

Being the idiot Naruto is, it didn't register that Sasuke thought he was in Konoha.

"Well then don't hurt them!" He said simply, going through who it could be.

"… It is orders." He was glad Sasuke's back was turned, because he sat right up, his eyes widening.

_Me! _He thought.

Orders were to kill Naruto, and he didn't want to!

"You miss me…" He whispered to himself, very quietly.

…

He had to pee really bad. It was like, three! Couldn't his bladder wait? But he got up, walking down the hallway.

As soon as he opened the door, he was shoved inside, the door locking behind him.

"Hey!" He yelled, turning to face Itachi.

"I know who you are, Uzumaki Naruto."

His cheeks burned.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Itachi dragged his finger up Naruto's shirt, revealing the curse seal on his stomach.

"Don't play games. I," he paused, bringing his finger to his lips.

"am on your side."

Naruto blinked.

"Uh, what?"

"You're mission, is to bring back Sasuke, correct?"

He nodded.

"And the missing ninjas?"

"Where are they? Are they alright?"

Itachi shook his head.

"I don't know, but you and I have the same mission. I am only in this hell hole to get Sasuke out."

"B-but Sasuke wants to kill you…" Naruto whispered. Itachi faintly smiled, but his eyes brewed pain.

"I know. Sasuke is not someone you and I can trust anymore; he isn't the same. If you get in the way of his mission, he will kill you."

"Sasuke could never kill me!" Naruto hissed.

"He can and he will! Don't trust him!"

"Now, we need you to work on your acting, and—"

"Could you do the makeup for me from now on?" Naruto asked desperately. Itachi nodded, faintly smiling. The teen pulled out his communicator.

"Sakura-chan?"

"I'm… trying to sleep, Naruto! What is it?"

"Listen, me and Sasuke are coming back to the leaf tomorrow to find—well, me, and investigate. I have a plan."

He relayed the information to her, Itachi nodding in agreement.

"Oh, and the eight tails… they are going to try to kill Killer B tomorrow! Send some ninjas immediately, but make sure they don't have any marking of a village on them, that's too easy to identify."

"Bye Sakura-chan, tell Sai I said I miss him." The two boys stayed silent.

"Itachi, he said… he misses me. Well, Naruto."

"He really does."

…

"Don't slow me down, Sai."

"hahaha… ha…" Sasuke was running so fast, and he had been for awhile. It was getting hard to breathe.

"Were almost… to your… hometown, Sas- ke."

The gates of Konoha were in sight, the hokage mountain in view. How good it would feel to set foot in home, even if he hadn't been gone for long.

"This. Is. Konoha!" Naruto shouted, skipping through the street.

"Keep you mask on, baka!" Sasuke shouted. Naruto shoved his mask back into place.

"Hey, maybe we'll find this kid faster if we split up, you still have a picture?"

"I don't need one, dobe."

"Whatever! We're splitting up now, usuratonkachi!" He ran ahead, quickly to get along with the plan.

Sasuke slowly took the opposite path.

_Naruto… where are you?_

…

"Sakura!"

"Naruto!" She was going to hug him, but he quickly started stripping his clothes.

"Sai! Wear these! Where are my clothes?" He rushed, peeling off the black garments.

"Right here!" Sakura assured.

"Lady Tsunade and the other ninjas went to cloud, Naruto!"

Everyone was rushing around, and Naruto quickly took out his contact lenses.

"Alright! Where is the dye?"

"Here!" Temari shouted, shoving a vat of blonde dye towards him.

He shoved his head inside, Temari shuffling the dye through.

Sakura washed the makeup from his face.

"Change pants quick, Naruto! We'll have the black dye ready when you get back." He nodded, washing the blonde dye from his hair. He shoved his headband in place.

He started walking out, but Sakura grabbed his arm.

"Naruto, why… why exactly are you doing this?" His hand flew to his headband.

"I need to tell him some stuff, as me." He jumped out of the window.

"But don't worry, I'll get him back! 'tebayyo!"

…

"Damn it! Where are you!" He had searched in all the logical places- the ramen shop, training centers, even his house. Where was the brat? The wind suddenly kicked up, blowing away his mask. Damn it! Damn this entire mission!

And where was Sai?

…

Naruto had been waiting for nearly half an hour. He'd been sitting under a cherry blossom tree, near the outskirts of town.

Absentmindedly, he brushed his fingers through the dirt, tracing Sasuke's name over and over. He was so excited to see him as Naruto, no matter the cost.

Naruto3Sasuke!

Sasuke finally found him. That silly blonde, sitting on the outskirts of town, doing who knows what. His heart thudded from simply seeing him in person after so long. He wanted to go sit and listen to his laugh, but that was not an option.

He quickly dodged behind the tree.

Silly Sasuke, didn't he know Naruto could sense him?

Looking down, he saw Naruto tracing his name over and over. He wanted to laugh.

Naruto3Sasuke!

"Sasuke, I have something I want to tell you." Naruto said, standing up. Sasuke couldn't move, his hands staying on the sakura tree.

_Damn! Move! _

"Sasuke, I don't know why you're here, but I have needed to tell you something for a long time." He turned around, facing him. He grabbed his hands, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Naruto…" he whispered, his body shaking.

"Sasuke, I…"

Sasuke's heart was hammering at an inhuman pace. Naruto was leaning towards him, closing his eyes, puckering his lips.

Move away, Sasuke! Damn! Start running!

But he didn't.

He let Naruto put his lips on his own, tears slipping out of his eyes freely. They kept falling as Sasuke backed away, angrily brushing the tears off.

"Sasuke, I love you!" He looked down, still holding Naruto's hands. He kept crying uncharacteristically, until Naruto kissed him again. But this time, he pressed Sasuke against the back off the tree, putting his hands on his face.

Desperately Sasuke opened his mouth, taking in Naruto's tongue. Passionately they kissed, tears falling from Sasuke's eyes. Naruto gently led Sasuke to the ground, sitting on his legs.

He'd never done anything like this, but with sasuke it came naturally.

Sasuke leaned his head back against the tree, blinking his damp eyes. Naruto laid his head in Sasuke's neck, tightly wrapping his arms around him.

"I love you, I love you." He whispered to Sasuke.

"I always have, always." He pressed his warm lips to Sasuke's neck.

"I always will, Sasuke. No matter what. Believe it."

This seemed too surreal for Sasuke. It was wrong, he was supposed to kill Naruto. But he was warm and he loved it, Sasuke loved it. He loved Naruto, more than anyone else.

He'd been silent for too long. He pushed Naruto off of him, quickly standing.

"You… I hate you." He pulled out a kunai.

"I will kill you, Naruto." The younger boy was still on the ground.

"Then do it, Sasuke."

He breathed deeply.

"No… just… go, quickly." He drew his kunai back in, placing in his pouch. He looked down, waiting for the sound of Naruto's footsteps.

But he merely stood up.

"Sasuke, let… let me kiss you, one more time. Then I'll go."

Naruto walked towards him. So close, so close. So hot. He opened his mouth, mere centimeters away from Sasuke.

"No!" Sasuke yelled, pushing him away. He didn't want to melt like that again.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" He pushed Naruto away, his hand threatening to pull out a kunai.

He listened to his quick footsteps until he couldn't hear them anymore, still not moving.

It was a rush for naruto to change and re-dye his hair, but he did quickly, trying to regain control of his emotions.

"So what did you tell him, Nar? You seem a little keyed up." Sakura asked when they were alone. He was zipping up his jacket now, and removing his headband.

"It's personal, Sak…"

"Just tell me, you idiot!" He sighed.

"I… told him I … love him." He was blushing madly, zipping his jacket up the rest of the way.

"Oh." She said, handing him his contacts.

"Yeah…"

She sighed.

"I already knew that, Naruto."

"W-wha?"

"It's easy to tell, Naruto. But it doesn't change our friendship, okay?" He nodded, smiling.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan." He wrapped his arms around her.

"Be safe, okay?" She made him promise.

…

"Sasuke? You okay?" Naruto asked as Sai casually.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, quickly walking out of the village.

"I found the demon kid." Naruto relayed.

"Oh, what did you find out?"

"He seems to be continuing his training, and eating a shitload of ramen, blecch."

Sasuke stifled a smile at this. It would be ramen, always ramen.

…


End file.
